Harvard beat everybody they were supposed to be last year, going 10-0 against teams that finished below them in the standings. However, they got swept by both Princeton and Cornell. Coach Amaker has to get his young team mentally prepared to take on the big name teams in the conference or this a squad that could disappoint and let a less talented, but more experienced team take home the Ivy League title.

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Sophomore Malcolm Washington (son of Denzel) no longer listed on men’s hoops roster.

The Daily Pennsylvanian Buzz Blog commented on Washington:

Washington struggled in the few minutes he accrued during his freshman year, seeing little playing time behind unanimous all-Ivy point guard Zack Rosen. Washington started one game in Rosen’s place when the Rosen was briefly benched for a violation of team rules.

Beyond his meager statistics (a .157 clip in shooting) Malcolm’s future role on the team became questionable with the announcement of a large incoming freshman class ripe with supposed guard talent.

The roster now sits at 20 players, still five above the League travel limit, but with injuries the Quakers will likely not have too much trouble making weight.

No word as to whether it was Washington’s choice or a team move.

Penn is at #58 on the Mid Majority’s TMM100 countdown, a ranking all the 263 teams of the non-BCS, based on their performance over the course of the six-year Mid-Majority era.

The Soft Pretzel Logic blog tweeted, “As we approach 8 years since it happened, there are people who genuinely don’t believe me when I tell them Penn once hosted College Gameday.”

GoPrincetontigers.com announced that the February 4 game between Princeton and Harvard would be televised on ESPN-U, in addition Princeton’s Nov 14 games against defending national champions Duke. The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Buzz Blog commented on this news:

In what we think may be a sign of the times, this year’s Princeton-Harvard basketball matchup will be televised on ESPN-U.

With the Penn-Princeton rivalry on the back burner right now (Penn has lost the last three contests), is this the new rivalry for the Ivy League?

The Daily Pennsylvanian ran a story about Penn’s high-profile Dec 4 matchup with Army.

“The style of play displayed in the Patriot League compares to the Ivy League play very well,” senior forward Jack Eggleston said. “[It’s] a similar type of basketball [and has] a similar talent level, so I think playing Army is going to prepare us well for the Ivy League schedule.”

HoopsatHarvard announced via twitter that 2010 Harvard grad Dan McGreary took a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers head office.

Brown announced its five newcomers.

The Cornell Daily Sun interviewed the founders of the popular twitter feed @wittmanfacts.

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On 6-5 Canadian forward Manny Sahota: “He’s a guy with tremendous potential. A really good athlete. Can play both forward spots, had a really good senior year and followed it up with some all-star games where he played pretty well. He’s a guy going forward, in the future, I think can be a really good player. He’s got to learn a little bit more about the game, stuff like that.”

On 6-3 Dominick Scelfo and 6-2 Jake Matthews: “They’re a little different. Dom’s more of a true point guard. He can run the team, be a team leader type guy, and Jake’s more of a combo guard, good at scoring with some athleticism. He’s just a little thin right now; he needs to put on some weight.”

In terms of Scelfo and Matthews challenging for playing time: “They’re both right there because we don’t have enough backcourt depth.”

On 6-6 Dwight Tarwater: “Dwight is similar to Manny in he can play both forward spots. He’s probably a little more skilled. He can shoot the ball; he’s very strong. He’s probably the most college ready of the freshmen because of his size. He’s got to learn the college game and the intensity and I think he’ll be fine.”

…

The Columbia Spectator provides a short intro to CU basketball:

Basketball
How did they do last year?
11-17 (5-9 Ivy), tied for fifth in the league.

Who should I be watching out for?
Junior guard Noruwa Agho (#1), senior forward Brian Grimes (#2), and sophomore center Mark Cisco (#55)

Who’s running the show?
Head coach Kyle Smith was hired in May after former head coach Joe Jones left for the associate head coaching position at Boston College.

What should I expect this season?
Under Jones, the Lions went from consistently last in the league to middle of the pack, but Smith could be what pushes the Light Blue into the top of the conference.

Where can I watch?
Men’s (and women’s) basketball play in Levien Gymnasium, which is conveniently located on campus in Dodge Fitness Center.

…

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Princeton’s Marcus Schroeder attended D-League tryouts on Saturday in Oakland, one stop of many on his journey to land a pro contract. Princetonbasketball.com writes,

Yesterday he was in Oakland.

Tonight he’s in Seattle.

Tomorrow he’ll land in China.

Marcus Schroeder will go wherever he has the best chance to continue his basketball career.

“I’m trying to play next year. Overseas, anywhere – it doesn’t really matter,” Schroeder said from a hotel in the Emerald City. “I do not have an agent. I’ve been trying to represent myself, using different contacts that I’ve developed throughout my college career.”

Cornell alum Louis Dale played his second game with German team Gottingen, scoring 10 points in a win against UBC Tigers Hannover, a German Pro-A team.

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In the video below, the team prepares for a downtown photoshoot:

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“In a lot of ways, all four made really good decisions,” Donahue said by phone Thursday. “In terms of where they’re at, the type of coaches they’re playing for, the cities they’re living in, the style of play. It fits every one of them. The guys did the right thing, took their time, had good representation, and in the long run it helps — those three in particular: Louis and Jeff and Ryan — to keep improving.

“Eventually, their hope is they can compete and improve their game to get to their goal of playing in the NBA or at the highest of levels and make this a really successful career.”

Princetonbasketball.com reports that Tiger alum Marcus Schroeder will be attending open D-League tryouts in Oakland on Saturday.

Harvard released its 2010-2011 roster yesterday.  It includes five incoming freshmen.  Current  sophomore Spencer de Mars is no longer listed on the roster.

Harvard also officially released the schedule that was inadvertently released by the Ivy League office last week.

Brown has also released its 2010-2011 roster, which includes four new freshmen and a transfer.  Current junior Marques Coleman is no longer listed on the roster.

The University of Kentucky released an official schedule that includes a matchup with Penn on January 3.

The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Buzz blog comments on the UK match-up.

Last year Penn men’s basketball suffered one of its the program’s worst defeat ever at Duke.

This year, the Quakers are headed to perennial powerhouse Kentucky. But it’s okay, right? All their players left for the NBA draft…

Toledo transfer Stephen Albrecht, now playing at Brown, has been added to the Twitter directory.

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Q: When you recruit, how do you talk about New York City as a unique selling point for the Columbia program?

A: I love it. It’s what distinguishes us from the other seven [Ivy] schools. We have this vibrant, cultural center that is the epicenter of so many things. It attracts the best and brightest in so many fields. As far as basketball goes, we had Team USA practicing in town, we had a [Brazil-China exhibition] game in our gym, we have [Madison Square] Garden. If you like the excitement that New York provides, you’re going to love Columbia. It’s two for one. You get the whole package. It’s not for everybody and that’s OK with me. But for the people who really want that experience, it really is a great selling point.

Q: Having seen St. Mary’s play last year, it seemed that the team focused on ball movement and hustle plays, among other areas. How can you bring those aspects to Columbia as a head coach?

A: It’s something we’ll value – sharing the ball. We’ll talk about it, we’ll emphasize it. Last year was a culmination of nine years so it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something we’ll value in recruiting, finding guys who are willing to do those things. The hustle aspect is something that comes from guys within the program, pushing themselves and pushing each other to get to that next level of success.

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